/ ˈbeɪθɒs; NAmE -θɑːs/ noun
[ U ] ( formal ) ( in writing or speech ) a sudden change, that is not always intended, from a serious subject or feeling to sth that is silly or not important
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 17th cent. (first recorded in the Greek sense): from Greek , literally depth . The current sense was introduced by Alexander Pope in the early 18th cent.